The Root of Creativity within Us

It's countdown to the second TEDxSMU event -- sure to be an even more impressive and inspiring session than the highly-noted inaugural last fall.  The multiple, related events are already underway. 

The organizers, Dean Geoff Orsak and the amazingly capable Sharon Lyle have partnered with an exciting new media entity You+Dallas to create in perpetuity a multi-media community to keep the programs and possibilities alive -- with a goal of growing the impact and participation.  Here is the TEDxSMU-specific link.

Note the multiple channels.  I was honored to be asked to contribute on the topic of Creativity.  See link to the post here. 

Mad Men: Don Draper's 10 Secrets of Career Success

Don Draper, the dashing lead character in the television series Mad Men, is a master in the art of re-invention. His story is taken to the extreme, as he architected his ascent from humble beginnings to the top of Madison Avenue in the 1960s.

Flash forward to today -- a difficult economic environment with many vying for fewer upwardly mobile career slots. 

What can be learned from Don's skills and strategies?

Here's an analysis -- from my perch as talent advisor and former ad agency VP:

• #1  Lack of Privilege. Don entered the world in the ultimate state of indignity. His mother was a prostitute who died giving birth to him. He was dumped on the wife of his cheating, abusive father -- an unwelcome addition to the family and on-going reminder of the infidelity.  It didn't discourage him, it propelled him.
• #2  Visionary. Don was a have-not in a world of haves. Every life experience magnified the disadvantage of his childhood status and the allure of a better place.  He would escape to the dark of the cinema and fantasize living the life he observed on the bright silver screen. He had clarity, ambition and determination.
• #3 Opportunistic. When his commanding officer was killed in the bunker, Don seized a lifeline by trading G.I. tags and undertaking a new identity. Wounded and in a state of delirium, he still had the grit and wherewithal to break out of the box of his reality and into the potential of his future. He lives his mantra, "Move forward."
• #4 HANDSOME! ! ! ! Women swoon over Don's good looks. And guys consider him a man's man. What a delightful and beneficial distraction as he's striving to jump onto a new path to prosperity. Recipients of fibs and fakery along the way probably didn't even notice, as they were no doubt dazzled by his considerable dazzle. Clearly it was an asset he was able to package and deploy.
• #5 Core Talent.  Don is a gifted story-teller, as wife Betty notes when confronting him about his double life. His talent was born out of ignominy, desire for escape and the complexity of living a lie. He knows first-hand the desperation of want -- an insight that would evolve as a secret competitive weapon.  He has the power to persuade.
• #6 Savvy Targeting. Don is not adept with money or the mechanics of business. He knows how to sell and compel. Thus he chose a brilliant career track: the go-go world of advertising. It was the glamorous, highly-compensated Master of the Universe profession of its time and a growth field, to boot.
• #7 Act and Dress the Part. To elevate into a new echelon, industry or company, you must embody the culture and nuances.  You have to fit in.  Don may have the private behavior of an alley cat, but in public he displays the patina of the elite.  He has impressive board room presence.   He is indignant at impolite behavior. ''Take off your hat," he orders uncouth gents in the elevator. 
• #8 Massive Capacity to Hold Liquor. Who isn't amazed at the proliferation of alcohol and womanizing depicted on the show? No wonder they called it the Swinging Sixties!  That said, Don is generally cool, credible and in control when on duty for Sterling Cooper business. No blithering or dialing drunk. An excellent lesson, always.  
• #9 Work Ethic. Despite the drinking and extracurricular activities, Don puts out the work -- in spades. He is constantly jotting, thinking, researching. He gets out of bed in the middle of the night when his client Conrad Hilton beckons. The original 24/7 man, he also demands high performance of others.  When turning down copywriter Peggy Olsen for a raise, he tells her, "You're good. Get better!"
• #10 Supportive Sponsor. You can't get from here to there all by yourself. Neither did Don. You need a network of support -- at the top.  Ad agency owners Bert Cooper and Roger Sterling were good star-pickers. They took Don under their wings, nurtured, challenged and rewarded him. But they called in their chits when they needed him to sign an employment contract in order to win and retain key clients.
• Bonus Boost:  The Better Half. Don was strategic and savvy in wooing a wife who would fit his future standing. Betty had breeding and Grace Kelly beauty.  She came from the Philadelphia Main Line, a Bryn Mawr alumna.  She knew how to ''keep help'' and run a proper, tastefully-appointed home. She bore him a daughter -- and two sons to carry on his made-up name.  With Betty, he had the complete package.

But it wasn't enough for Don. Or was it too much? Maybe more than he deserved?

A Cup of Coffee with....a Real Mad Man

Ray Trapp is a legendary Dallas adman, as well as a former boss/mentor. (See story of how I talked him into the job!)

We chatted recently about his career start in New York and the world depicted in AMC’s Mad Men and the Sterling Cooper agency.

Is the TV show an accurate portrayal of the times?
The staging, business attitudes and general culture are very realistic for the mid-1960s when I was an Account Executive – an actual Mad Man -- at Ogilvy & Mather in New York.

How did you get to Ogilvy?

I was recruited straight out of the MBA program at Northwestern, now known as the Kellogg School of Management. I started in a training program with six others selected from the most prominent Business schools. I was there from 1964 to 1970.

Why advertising as a post-MBA path?

Here’s a dose of career advice: Look for situations where you can make a big impact in as short a time as possible. I was young, cocky, and ambitious! Advertising was a hot field and paid very well. My studies had been balanced between finance and marketing, so I could have gone either way. But I had a love of the arts since childhood.

Why did you choose Ogilvy?
At the time, advertising was in its golden years with David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Bill Bernbach ruling the world with fabulous reputations for ‘’breakthrough’’ campaigns. I received two agency offers, as well as one from General Foods – all at the same starting salary. But I chose what I saw as the fast track in advertising at the best “shop.’’

Why did Ogilvy choose you?

I had a strong combination of academic excellence, dramatic writing skills, training in the arts and an outgoing personality. This seemed to me, and apparently to them, as a natural background for Madison Avenue.

First impression, first day on the job?
Nice offices, but not extravagant. A low key start. Meet other trainees, get processed by HR. Then, a series of interviews with 6-7 executives as a get-acquainted process. We were then assigned to 6-week rotations in various departments before moving to permanent assignments in Account Service. The culture was pleasant, welcoming and reserved. It was all very professional.

Drinking in the office?

I never saw it – physically in the office, that is.

Liquid lunches?

We typically just ate at our desks. One day, a supervisor invited me out for lunch and I found him sitting in the bar of the restaurant. I proceeded to have a drink or two with him, thinking this was a prelude to moving to a table. He kept ordering more martinis. I soon realized, ‘’this is lunch.” On the walk back to the office, we stopped at a deli. He ordered a sandwich and carried it back to his desk. He was a five-martini-and-tuna-on-rye lunch guy.

Even more prevalent was the 5 o’clock ‘’whistle’’ when executives headed out to get the train or bus back home. For many, the routine was to leave the office, stop at your favorite bar and belt down a few.

Many a Mad Man got into big trouble at home if he had a few too many and ended up partying with the office crew until midnight. He got to sleep in a hotel for the night and in the dog house for a week or two afterwards.

Client entertaining?

If your client came in from out-of-town, the evening dinner proved to be a bit more adventurous. It was normal for everyone to have a cocktail or two before dinner. Wine was not such a big deal in 1964.

In general, smoking and drinking hard alcohol was very expected for the times. It was not unusual at a neighborhood party to have at least one or two husbands need help home. Occasionally, one of the housewives would have too much and get sick or get the giggles. But no one thought of it as that unusual.

Womanizing that you observed?

The typical male-female office protocol in the mid-1960s would hardly be acceptable today. Guys said and did things that would probably get them arrested today!

Love affairs sprouted quite easily. Don Draper is not the only Mad Man to view himself as young, virile and bullet-proof. I worked for two bosses, both of whom later became ad agency presidents, who had office affairs with female associates, got divorced, left small children at home and married their new loves. Those second relationships have lasted to the present day. As a first wife, Betty Draper should definitely be concerned!

How many women were in higher-up positions?

Men dominated the business at the time. I knew no women in any account service roles at O&M. All media, research and management staff were also male. Women were making inroads into creative -- writer, art director, production and mechanical art staff positions. But it still was truly a male-dominated business in the 1960s and well into the next decade.

What accounts did you work on?

I was fortunate to work on accounts with very big multi-million dollar ad budgets that were considered the cream of the crop in packaged goods marketing. I oversaw accounts for Metrecal Diet Foods, General Foods and Lever Brothers: Dove dishwashing liquid soap, Dove beauty bar, Imperial Margarine, Lucky Whip toppings, Start Instant Breakfast drink which was a big introductory campaign and more.

Your impressions of David Ogilvy? What did you learn from him?

He was a true gentleman, a good businessman and an avid student of the art of persuasion as expressed in advertising. He frequently came to our 6th floor cafeteria to purchase a sandwich and sit with the staff at tables where anyone, even the lowliest traffic mail delivery person, could join him. He was a very open and engaging individual. He loved what he did and inspired us to make our work more effective and more successful.

When did it all change?

I think the advertising world became too successful for its own britches. In 1965, the agency went public and David Ogilvy put a lot of money in his pocket as a result of the IPO. Many other agencies followed this path. My theory is that this brought a lot of attention to the financial side, as all earnings were now publicly disclosed. Clients suddenly began to focus on what ad agency profit margins were. Big client CEOs learned that agency presidents were making more than them. AND THEY COULD NOT STAND IT!

So the word went out: “Cut those agency revenues and bring them back to reality. Stop paying them 15% commissions. It is obviously too much for these fat cats. Let’s start paying them fixed fees that cap their profits.”

And the grinding began.